With All My Heart

Summary: "I will not let you die." She breathed. "Not again.." – Time Travel, Arthur/Guinevere.

…WAMH…

Glancing around another corridor, Arthur felt his insides clench yet again. They had checked nearly all of the corridors in the castle, but they had yet to find Guinevere. Admittedly, he was getting anxious every time he and Morgana went into an empty corridor.

..

Where is she?

..

Arthur thought, worriedly.

"You do know where we are going, right?" asked Morgana, again.

"Of course I know where we're going." Stated Arthur, raising his brow at her, baffled. "In case you've forgotten, I've lived here ever since I can walk."

"But we're going around in circles." Said Morgana, exasperated, before pointing at a statue. "Look, it's that dog again. Need I say more?"

"Oh, then allow me to explain." Smiled Arthur, sarcastically. "We have hundreds of statues like that in the castle. I can't believe that you lived here for more than ten years and still didn't know that fact."

"Well, forgive me." Scoffed Morgana, rolling her eyes. "I just have better things to do than to admire such things, unlike you."

"Like what? Brushing your hair?" retorted Arthur. "Well, that's a fine thing to do indeed."

"I do no-!" Morgana began, but was cut off as Arthur held up his hand.

"Shush!"

Arthur was just going crazy with Morgana's ranting, when he heard a shuffling sound. He immediately silenced Morgana to investigate the source of the sound.

With one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he cautiously moved forward to the direction of the sound. The corridor they were in was dark, devoid of light since the torches were not lit. How they got here? Well, he would blame it all to Morgana, she kept on ranting and complaining like there was no tomorrow. They must have wandered here whilst that was happening.

"Who goes there?" Arthur called out to the darkness surrounding them.

No response was made, the only thing Arthur could hear was his and Morgana's breathing, which seemed to be amplified because of the utter stillness of their surroundings. It was just too still. Not liking the situation one bit, he drew his sword from its scabbard.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Standing on guard, he could see a silhouette walking towards them. He could feel his every muscle tense, ready to strike in case the moving form proved to be a threat. Morgana stood closer to him, clutching the back of his tunic tightly, breathing hard in nervousness.

The figure approaching them stepped forward into the sparse light provided by the moon.

WAMH…

Feeling her heart hammering against her chest, Guinevere forced her body to silently crawl towards the corner of the corridor. She tried her best to ease herself behind a suit of armor without making a sound. For once, she was thankful for the darkness that surrounded her.

The sounds of footsteps coming towards her direction never once broke its stride.

Any other person would try to get the help of the approaching figure, and seeing that she was injured, it makes sense that she should take that course of action. But for some reason, her instincts screamed at her not to do so. Her own mind warned her to stay far away from the approaching figure. And so she did.

Huddling closer to herself, her form hidden behind a suit of armor in a small alcove in the corridor. She prayed to all the deities that she knew of, praying, begging, and hoping that the sinister entity will not find her there.

The figure was close, only a few feet away from her judging from the sound of its footsteps.

Guinevere held her breath as the figure neared her hiding place. She did her best to stop her body from trembling lest the figure noticed her. She heard the rustle of the figure's clothes from their close proximity to one another.

But what really brought the claws of terror to grip at her heart was the sound that came next.

..

A beautiful humming voice of a woman was heard resounding around the walls of the corridor.

..

She felt her heart stop at the sound.

..

WAMH…

The Lady Helen, or Mary Collins, could wait no longer.

She escaped from the clutches of those fools in the banquet. Revulsion filled her as she saw how the people celebrated the anniversary of the Great Purge. The event where many of her kind was murdered in cold blood due to the hatred of one powerful man.

Agitated, she resolved to take matters in her own hands.

Going past various twist and turns through the corridors, she searched for the unfortunate Prince who will meet his end tonight.

She went down a long corridor, relishing the darkness it provided. Taking her time, seeing as the Prince will surely die at her hands anyway, she began humming a melody using the voice of the famed songstress, The Lady Helen of Mora.

She felt a brief pang of pity at the death of the songstress. Her voice was marvelous indeed. But whatever pity she felt was quickly snuffed out as she thought about her son, her dear Thomas. He was her life, her reason for living, but now he was gone, taken from her embrace by that tyrant of a man.

Stopping her humming, she clenched her hands as she tried to control her rage.

..

A son for a son

..

Out of the blue, she heard voices coming from the opposite end of the corridor.

"-admire such things, unlike you."

"Like what? Brushing your hair?" said a man. "Well, that's a fine thing to do indeed."

"I do no-!" a woman began.

"Shush!-"

Exhilaration filled her whole being as she saw who the new arrivals were. There, just standing several feet away from her, was Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana.

Both individuals were close to the heart of the King of Camelot.

Both will meet their demise.

Their blood will be spilled by her hands.

..

It is destiny

..

WAMH…

"C'mon Gaius!" Merlin called out, sprinting down the corridors. "We don't have long."

"I know." Panted Gaius, exhaustion evident on his frame, trying his best to keep up. "Wait!" he said, grabbing Merlin's arm.

"What?"

"Where are we going anyway?" asked Gaius. "We don't know where the witch has gone. Or Arthur and Morgana for that matter."

"Then we'll just have to get to Gwen first." Stated Merlin, already leading the way to where he left Guinevere. "We need to get her to safety. I know the way."

Despite the burning sensation that permeated through his body, Merlin ran with all his might towards his destination. Ignoring his fear that the witch had gotten there first.

..

Be safe Gwen

..

WAMH…

Arthur brought his sword in front of him, he pushed Morgana behind him, ready for battle if it's necessary. He continued to watch as the figure stepped forward. The sparse light offered by the moon hit the figure.

A beautiful woman stood before them.

"Lady Helen." Morgana let out, surprised. She unclenched her tight hold on Arthur's tunic.

Taken aback, Arthur stood there for a moment, sword still raised.

"Good evening." Greeted Lady Helen, smiling pleasantly.

Shaken out of his stupor, Arthur quickly put his sword down to his side, feeling like an idiot.

"Forgive me." He apologized, bowing his head to the lady.

"Oh no, do not fret." Waved the lady, chuckling. "It is I who should apologize for sneaking up to you quite so suddenly. I dare say that you have proven yourself quite a strapping young man for instinctively protecting a lady." She added, inclining her head to Morgana.

"If you don't mind me asking, Milady," Morgana began, a polite smile in place, though her brows were slightly furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the banquet?"

"I was just taking a walk, the banquet hall was getting a bit stuffy." Answered Lady Helen. "How about the both of you? I heard that the King was asking about your whereabouts."

"Oh, we were just looking for someone." Replied Morgana, sharing a look with Arthur.

"Is that so?" said Lady Helen, raising her brows. "May I accompany you then? I fear that I'm actually a bit lost myself, I don't recognize this place."

"Definitely." agreed Arthur, sheathing his sword. "Feel free to do so, Milady. Though I'm afraid we're not going back to the banquet at the moment. As the Lady Morgana stated, we were searching for someone, her handmaiden to be exact."

"It is fine. Another pair of eyes would surely help, wouldn't it." stated Lady Helen, all the while smiling at him.

Something about that smile unnerved Arthur, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He immediately dismissed the thought, he supposed that he was just tired.

"Well, we must be off then." Said Arthur, offering the lady a smile, though it was a bit strained. He felt that something was off in this situation.

He imperceptibly shook his head, then waved to Morgana to continue on down the corridor.

With both of the young noble's backs in front of her as they trudged along the corridor, the witch can't help but let a sadistic smile cross her face. Finally, she can do the task that she covetously yearned for, the reason for all of her actions in this god forsaken place.

..

Wallow in despair, Uther Pendragon.

..

Lady Helen caressed the dagger hidden in her sleeve, a feeling of exhilaration overcoming her. She slowly took the dagger and clenched it tightly on her hand. Ready to strike.

She just needed to choose who to kill first between the two nobles before her.

Arthur can't shake off the feeling that something was very wrong in this situation. His battle-honed senses were acting up, instinct alerted him to not let his guard down. Expanding his senses by listening intently to any sound made around his surroundings, he heard a sound he knew too well. A sound he was taught to listen for in the presence of an enemy.

A hissing sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

Quickly glancing to his side, his mind froze in shock at what he saw being reflected by the glass panes of the windows.

An old woman, in the guise of Lady Helen's clothes, clutching a dagger. Her hand was raised, ready to strike down the people in front of her.

Instinctively, his own body moved at its own accord. He abruptly pushed Morgana to the side as the dagger went down to plunge itself at her back.

"Ah!" he lout a yell, as the dagger sliced his forearm in his attempts in saving Morgana.

Hissing in pain, he swiftly unsheathed his sword and pivoted to face the imposter.

He rapidly dodged to the side to avoid the dagger that was coming down at him. With a hard flick of his sword, he disarmed the imposter and sent the dagger flying from her hand towards the ground several feet away.

Lady Helen's face twisted in an ugly snarl, and before Arthur could do anything, she pushed the air in front of him forcefully. A powerful force lifted Arthur from his feet, sending him flying several meters away. He landed with a harsh thud on the ground, back aching and very much winded from his fall. Gasping hard as he tried to regain his breath, he reached for his sword which fortunately landed beside him.

"Arthur!" Morgana screamed, rushing towards him.

The imposter sneered at Morgana, slashing her hand sideward in the air in front of her.

A sudden burst of wind erupted from the tips of her fingers. Mary Collins directed the spell towards Morgana and sadistically watched as the King's ward was forcibly lifted from the ground and slammed at the stone wall of the corridor. Morgana crumpled down the floor like a rag doll.

"No!"

Ignoring the severe ache of his back, Arthur threw himself at the witch with his sword at the ready. He quickly ducked and rolled off to the side to avoid the torrents of slicing wind that had emerged from the witch's hand. The wind left deep indentations identical to claw marks on the ground, wall, and ceiling alike. If the wind had hit him, he would surely be shredded to pieces by now.

Arthur kept on advancing towards the witch, all the while doing his best to dodge the torrential winds that the witch had kept on casting. He sprinted forward in a desperate attempt to land a blow at his enemy. Now only a few feet from his adversary, he abruptly swung his sword down.

However, with only a few inches remaining from what could be a fatal blow, his blade stopped its descent. It was as if it hit an invisible barrier that surrounded the witch. Arthur was not able to avoid the torrential wind that cut through his chest. He was blasted a few yards away.

Arthur coughed out blood, feeling his consciousness slipping away from him. His vision darkened at the sheer pain he was experiencing. His chest was bleeding heavily from the lacerations it suffered.

Vaguely, he could hear footsteps approaching him. He forced himself to look up. There, towering over him, was the witch.

"Sleep now, Arthur Pendragon." smiled the witch, deranged.

The witch made a motion with her hand, her fingers slowly clenching the air. It was as if she was squeezing something.

Arthur felt an extreme crushing sensation in his chest. Gasping hard as his breath was suddenly cut off, he clutched his bloody chest in a futile attempt to alleviate the unpleasant feeling. He felt himself blacking out from the sheer pain that he was experiencing.

Then it suddenly stopped.

He can breathe again and the crushing sensation was gone.

Arthur looked up at the witch through his hazy vision.

There stood the witch, frozen in place with her hand still outstretched in front of her. However, the tip of a sword was now protruding through her stomach.

WAMH…

Everything happened so fast.

Guinevere watched in dazed shock as Morgana was harshly slammed to the wall. Her mistress had quickly fallen unconscious and crumpled down to the ground. The witch then began to cast powerful torrents of wind and wield it around the corridor like child's play. Arthur was suddenly caught by the cutting wind, he was promptly blasted away.

Shaking herself out of her state, she paid no heed to the painful jolts her body was experiencing as she moved silently around her hiding place. She knew that the only way to get around the witch was through stealth. She noticed a rusty sword placed in the suit of armor that she was hiding behind. She took the sword and then proceeded to quietly stalk behind the witch.

Guinevere plunged the sword through the witch's back, effectively cutting the spell that she was casting over Arthur.

Feeling the witch becoming limp, Guinevere withdrew the sword and watched as the witch fell to the ground, unmoving.

She promptly dropped the sword, her hands shaking from what she had just done.

She had just taken a life.

A groan of pain halted her thoughts.

"My Lord!"

Guinevere rushed to Arthur's side, kneeling down beside him. She was alarmed as she saw his bloody chest. She immediately placed her shaking hands firmly on his chest to stop the bleeding.

"Oh no, Oh no." Guinevere felt her eyes prickling with tears, her entire body shaking.

"Guinevere." Gasped Arthur, fighting the pain to focus his sight on the woman beside him.

"Sire! Please! I-..I…" stuttered Guinevere, she didn't even know what she was trying to say as panic had gripped her mind. Her trembling did not abate as she saw the amount of blood he was losing. She could see him pale rapidly.

"Guinevere. Look at-" Arthur bit out, vision blacking from the pain. "Look at me."

"Sire! I-!" Guinevere couldn't stop her tears from falling.

"Shh." Arthur tried his best to console, though he supposed that was a pretty hard thing to do right now considering his situation. "It's alright, don't cry."

"B-but-!"

"G-Guinevere, i-it's alright." Arthur smiled, or at least he attempted to. Watching her now, he realized that he never wanted to see Guinevere cry. Despite the pain, he brought his hand to rest atop Guinevere's on his chest. "I'm fine."

Guinevere looked at him for a moment before nodding, misty eyed.

..

So preoccupied were they to each other, they didn't notice that the witch had moved ever so slightly.

..

WAMH…

Mary Collins had reverted back to her original form.

Her enchantment was broken the moment that servant girl had driven a sword through her. The magic upholding her enchantment immediately wavered as it prioritized on healing her mortal wound instead. Mary was thankful that she had gone through the trouble in putting some of her life force in the enchantment to make it stronger. If she hadn't done that, she would be dead by now.

She moved her body ever so slightly, it felt stiff under her ministrations.

Slipping her arms beneath her, she lifted herself up until she was leaning down. Her stomach was still not completely healed yet, but she didn't care. She had waited long enough. She will not be hindered by a simple cut.

Ignoring the sharp pangs of pain, she slowly stood up, quite unsteady on her feet.

Rage had filled her as she thought about how she was nearly robbed her due retribution.

By a simple serving girl no less.

..

How dare you

..

She thought, staring maliciously at the servant whose back was still turned to her.

Gathering all the energy that she had, together with the rage, anger, hatred, and sorrow that suffocated her ever since the death of her precious son.

She unleashed her magic, her wrath, in one fell swoop.

Chaos surrounded her.

WAMH…

Arthur stared at Guinevere through hazy eyes. He was glad that she shed no more tears. When he saw Guinevere crying, it brought him unimaginable pain, much more so than the physical ones that he had at the moment.

Though bloodied and bruised, he had not seen a more beautiful woman than Guinevere at that moment.

He caught some movement in the corner of his eyes.

"Look out!"

Adrenaline coursed through his body.

Not caring about the pain, and he was sure that his wounds had opened further more. He took Guinevere in his arms and then turned them around as the entire corridor was filled with torrential winds.

Arthur tried his best to shield Guinevere from the glass shards that rained down upon them when the windows panes exploded from the sheer force of the winds.

He was sure that the explosion had racked through the entire Kingdom. Or through the Castle at least.

But that was enough for him to feel the slightest sliver of relief. No doubt that the guards, and even the Knights, will come charging at this location to investigate the explosion.

Cradling Guinevere in the safety of his arms, determined to protect her from whatever harm, he looked back at the witch that just refused to die.

Mary Collins looked diabolic as her eyes began to glow in an orange light, her hair billowing around her head due to the powerful winds that she had unleashed. She let out a crazed laughter as she felt her magic rose upon her command.

She slowly gathered the torrential winds on both her hands.

She would blow them all to smithereens.

WAMH…

An explosion racked through the Kingdom.

The Castle shook from the intensity.

Dust fell down from the ceilings.

Even from far away, Merlin could hear the people scream from fright and shock. He braced himself against the stone wall as the ground beneath his feet quaked. Gaius had fallen to his knees.

After the quake passed, he helped Gaius get up on his feet.

Heart hammering, Merlin ran down the hallway where he left Guinevere.

..

No!

..

Merlin turned at the end of the corridor and finally saw the people he was looking for. Albeit in a quite unfortunate circumstances.

Hastily scanning the hallway, he saw Morgana slumped on the ground unconscious, Guinevere being held by Arthur in his arms, and the witch whom had both of her hands outstretched preparing to cast out the powerful magic that was swirling rapidly around her hands.

"Die, Arthur Pendragon." said Mary Collins, imperiously.

She let go of the tight hold she had on her magic, and watched in glee as the slicing winds made its way to the people before her, ready to cut down anything on its path.

Merlin immediately outstretched his hand towards the spell of the witch.

"Lyft sy þe in bǽlwylm ac forhienan se wiðere!"

BOOM!

His spell collided with the witch's; creating a massive explosion that blasted all that was present away from the scene.

The next thing Merlin knew, he was on his back, winded from the blast. Dazedly blinking his eyes, he heard ringing in his head. He weakly casted a glance around the hallway.

Merlin saw Arthur leaning over Guinevere; he seemed to have protected her from the blast. Groaning, he slowly sat up despite the protesting aches in his body.

He could hear shouts from the distance, the second explosion had further alerted the guards, and they were now rushing towards their direction.

A movement caught his sight.

Mary Collins weakly outstretched her hand towards the Prince. Arthur, still leaning over Guinevere, didn't notice the movement, leaving his back unprotected. Gathering her last bit of power, she directed the dagger that was lying discarded a few feet beside her to sink itself at the Prince's back.

The dagger rose in the air unsteadily, ready to strike down the Prince.

Whoosh!

A blade gleamed before it was thrust down unto its victim's heart.

Blood was spilled.

A keening noise was heard as the victim choked on its own blood. The blade twisted in the chest of the victim, ensuring that the person will have no chance to survive.

Slumping down on the floor beneath, the victim exhaled its last breath.

Mary Collins was no more.

Merlin withdrew his hand from the sword. He stumbled backwards before he fell down, utterly worn out by the recent events. He closed his eyes to rest for a bit. He did deserve it after all the things that he had done. He heard the guards, Knights, or whoever it was, arriving at the corridor.

..

Nice of you lot to show up now

..

Was his last thought before he passed out.

WAMH…

Days had passed after that disastrous event.

Arthur still felt sore whenever he so much as moved around. But that didn't hinder him from doing his daily obligations as the Prince. Gaius had deeply expressed his disapproval when he saw Arthur roaming on about in the castle, he advised the Prince to stay on bed rest so that his wounds would heal in a faster rate.

Arthur just can't help it; he was bored out of his mind. He simply couldn't stay in bed all day lest he goes crazy. His father finally had enough of him when he caught Arthur on the training grounds with the rest of the Knights.

What? He was just giving out some pointers… Honest!

Irritated beyond belief by his son's unreasonable actions, Uther commanded that Arthur will not undergo training, or even give out pointers, with the Knights until he was fit to do so. The King said that the consequences will be dire, on pain of death, to be exact.

Arthur scoffed at the thought.

..

Yeah right

He's certainly not serious…

is he?

..

Knowing his father, there might be some truth behind those words.

After all, the King of Camelot seldom jests.

Nevertheless, he wisely decided not to provoke the King's ire.

That was why he was here now, leaning against the board of his bed and staring into nothingness. Oh how the mighty had fallen.

Idly, he thought of Morgana. The King's ward had recovered rather well from the ordeal. She suffered only a few scratches and a bump on the head. Thankfully, nothing more severe had happened to her. However, she had been advised to rest for a few days as well.

And knowing Morgana, she was also probably going crazy from sheer boredom.

That made Arthur brighten up a bit; at least he was not alone in his misery.

His thoughts then turned to Guinevere. The last time Arthur had seen her was when they were battling the witch. He must have fallen unconscious immediately after the witch was slain.

For the first time in his life, Arthur felt absolute fear rushed through his entire being, enough to immobilize him. Fear, not for himself, but for someone else. He feared that Guinevere would be taken away from him.

He remembered the softness of her delicate body as he held her safe in his arms. Her slight form shook from fright as they lay there, defenseless against the magic of the witch.

..

Magic

..

In the past, Arthur always found himself divided between what was right and what was wrong. His father had preached to him, time and again, that any form of sorcery was evil. Those with magic should not be trusted; instead they should be exterminated before they can even try to do anything malicious to the citizens of this Kingdom.

Arthur was conflicted by his father's teachings. Some people was born with magic, they cannot help who they are. There were also those who used magic to heal an ailing person.

Like that man, Thomas Collins, the son of the witch that had attacked them.

At the mere thought of the witch, seeds of hatred had been planted deep within his mind. He had never felt so defenseless, so utterly powerless, as he did then. He could do nothing as the witch tried to end his life. All forms of physical combat that had been ingrained in his mind after years of training had been proven useless when he engaged the witch in battle.

What made matters worse was that he could do nothing but watch as Guinevere was put in mortal peril in the hands of that malicious witch. The only thing that he could do was to shield her using his own body, to protect her from whatever harm to the best of his abilities.

After having suffered from the hands of those with magic, he felt his resolve strengthened.

His father was right.

Magic was pure evil.

Then and there, Arthur vowed that he will eradicate magic from the lands of Camelot. This Kingdom will be free from all manners of sorcery for as long as he shall live.

He would do everything in his power to protect Guinevere from the evils of magic.

WAMH…

Having had enough of staring into space like a foolish man, Arthur could not bear it any longer. He made his way out of his chambers in search of something to do. He was sick of being cooped up in his room. Knowing that he would be scolded by his father once again were he to see Arthur wandering around, he decided to go to Gaius. His father will not question him then.

Arthur needed his bandages replaced anyway.

Walking down the familiar route towards the Court Physician's chambers, Arthur had let his mind wander. He could not believe that Merlin, the idiot that he met awhile ago, was the one that actually saved him. His mind just simply refused to accept it.

That lanky boy of a man.

Rescue him, Arthur, a Knight who had been trained to kill since birth.

Arthur was very much appalled indeed.

What was worse was that, upon learning the heroic deeds of Merlin in saving the lives of both the Prince and the King's ward, his father had granted the simpleton the honor of being Arthur's manservant. This happened while he was unconscious, mind you.

To say the least, He was not pleased at the news.

At all.

He stopped his thoughts as he arrived at the physician's chambers, he quickly barged in not caring the slightest if he was acting rather rude. His mood had soured at the thought of his new manservant.

Scanning the room, he found it empty of occupants. He went further in anyway, determined to wait for Gaius. He didn't fancy going back to his room yet. A change of scenery would be nice.

He leaned against the work table while he glanced around the room. This chamber in particular had always fascinated him. He studied the different vials in the shelves, their shapes and sizes, as well as the liquid they contained, intrigued him.

He shifted his weight in discomfort.

Gaius was right; he was not fully recovered from the injuries that he had suffered. Making his way in front of the already lit fireplace, he sat down on the long work bench that was conveniently placed there. It was getting chilly since the sun had gone down awhile ago.

Arthur heard a knock on the door.

"Gaius, I was asked to-" said Guinevere, walking inside the room. She started when she saw him.

Arthur straightened on his seat at the sight of the woman.

"Oh!" exclaimed Guinevere, holding her hands in front of her. "My Lord."

"Guinevere." Said Arthur, quite surprised himself, pleasantly so.

An awkward silence fell upon them.

Arthur cleared his throat in nervousness.

"What brings you here?" asked Arthur, hoping to start a conversation.

"Oh, forgive me, Sire." Guinevere was shaken out of her stupor by the question. "I was asked by the Lady Morgana to request Gaius for a tonic."

"Oh?" said Arthur, concerned. "Is she ill?"

"I fear she's suffering from nightmares."

With the happenings that they went through, it was not unusual at all.

Arthur nodded in understanding.

"My Lord." began Guinevere hesitantly, eyes alight with concern. "May I ask what your business with Gaius is? Are you hurt, Sire?"

"Oh, no." Arthur shook his head, giving Guinevere a comforting smile. "My bandages needs changing, is all."

"Do you want me to help you?" offered Guinevere, walking over to him. "I have helped Gaius before; he had thought me how to properly dress a wound."

Arthur felt his mind halt as the warm light of the fire bathed Guinevere's form. Her soft dark auburn hair fell over her shoulders in rivulets; her chocolate skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the chamber beyond her.

The light only seemed to emphasize her form as her dress wounded tightly around her delicate body with each movement.

The vision of her standing before him led him to think of inappropriate thoughts.

..

God have mercy

..

He thought, jaw dropping slightly.

Arthur then noticed that Guinevere was looking at him in a very concerned manner.

..

Wait

What was she saying again?

Did she say something?

..

Arthur thought, flustered.

"Of course, if you want to wait for Gaius-" rushed Guinevere, misinterpreting his silence. "I mean-.. I understand, I have only bandaged a couple of men before…"

"Guinevere." Arthur spoke up, halting her rant. He couldn't help but smile at her. "It would be an honor."

Guinevere felt her face burn.

Embarrassed, she covered her cheeks with both her hands and turned away from the Prince. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly put her hands down to her side. She swiftly went to the cupboard where Gaius kept his bandages, her every movement quite stiff due to her mortification.

Meanwhile, Arthur tried his best to control his laughter at her adorable antics.

With fresh bandages at hand, Guinevere took a deep breath to still her nerves before she turned to face the Prince. Walking over again to the Prince, she fidgeted under his intense gaze.

"Well, these are the bandages." She chuckled nervously, her eyes flittering around, looking anywhere but the Prince.

"Indeed." Smiled Arthur, amusement clear on his face.

..

Get yourself together, Guinevere.

..

She admonished herself, biting her lip.

Shaking her head at her actions, she sat beside the Prince on the long wooden bench.

"May I?" she asked nervously, gesturing at the bandaged arm of the Prince.

Guinevere finally looked up at the Prince, she saw him staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"Sire?" called Guinevere, worried.

Arthur was shaken out of his thoughts yet again.

"Of course, definitely." He quickly said, holding up his arm to her

Arthur kept on getting distracted whenever he would cast his eyes at Guinevere. The warm light of the fireplace enhanced her beauty to new heights.

He didn't understand why he was feeling this way. Or even what he was feeling.

It confused him as he had never felt this way before with anyone.

Guinevere continued to evoke strange emotions deep within him. Emotions that he didn't even know he possessed.

With careful hands, Guinevere proceeded to unravel the bandages on his arm. He could not help but stare at the young woman beside him. From the way her brows furrowed ever so slightly in concentration, warm amber eyes alight as she focused on disinfecting and bandaging his arm, to the way she occasionally bit her luscious lips.

Arthur was mesmerized.

"Guinevere." He murmured, as he continued to study her.

Guinevere paused in her work, glancing up at the Prince. She tensed as she noticed the intense look in his eyes.

"Yes, Sire?" she let out timidly, averting her eyes and continuing her work.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, though I'm afraid I had not found the time." said Arthur, focused on Guinevere.

He placed his hand atop hers, halting her actions.

"I wanted to thank you, Guinevere." Arthur stated, gently holding her hand in between his own.

Guinevere didn't even bother hiding her blush.

"For what, My Lord?" she asked, perplexed.

"You saved my life. Were it not for you, I would have met my demise at the hands of that witch."

"Sire, you need not thank me." Guinevere immediately shook her head.

"I beg to differ. You have shown great courage when faced with such adversary. Allow me to extend my deepest gratitude."

"I have only done what I thought was right, My Lord."

"Nonetheless, I would not be here if you hadn't stopped the witch."

"My Lord, I would gladly lay my life for the people I care about."

"Oh, so I presume that I am one those people then." teased Arthur, smiling widely at the thought. "The people you care about, I mean."

"Yes, My Lord." Replied Guinevere, nodding at the Prince. Then the implication of the words dawned on her. "I mean-!… Yes, I do care about you… But not in that way… I'm not saying that I don't care about you personally… in that way…" she ranted, stumbling through her words as she went along.

Arthur burst out laughing.

Her face flushed in mortification.

Hearing the Prince's infectious laughter, she could not help but join in due to the utter silliness of the situation.

"Forgive me." Arthur said, reigning in his merriment. "I did not mean to offend you or anything."

"None taken, My Lord." Guinevere inclined her head to him, lips twitching in amusement.

Going back to finish bandaging the Prince's forearm, Guinevere tucked her hair behind her ear to better see the wound.

"There, all done." Announced Guinevere, smiling in satisfaction.

Her smile froze as she felt the Prince's hand cradle her cheek in a gentle manner.

"What happened?" asked Arthur, concernedly.

Brows furrowed, he inspected the slight bruise on her temple. It was very light, and he would not have noticed it were it not for Guinevere brushing her hair away from her face.

"Oh, I-I got it when I first confronted the witch." Explained Guinevere, stuttering.

Arthur went silent for a moment.

"Does it hurt?" he queried, his eyes meeting Guinevere's own. His hand still cradled her face.

"No." whispered Guinevere, being drawn into the Prince's gaze.

With both their hearts beating fast, they could not tear their eyes away from the other. Their breathing slowed as they realized their close proximity.

Staring at those warm eyes, Arthur was enthralled by the kindness he saw in them.

Even garbed in a simple dress, Guinevere was truly the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid his eyes upon.

She glowed in the darkness that surrounded them.

Guinevere was beautiful, inside and out.

CLANG!

A series of loud cluttering sound broke them apart.

Guinevere gasped, eyes widened in shock. She then quickly stood up.

"Sire." She hurriedly curtsied to him, and then swiftly went out of the room, face blushing furiously.

Still dazed, Arthur continued to stare at the place where Guinevere had gone to.

Everything happened so fast.

He then looked at the source of the sound.

..

Should've known

..

Arthur thought, contemptuously.

There, standing near the doorway, was his newly appointed manservant whom looked like he was caught in the act of doing something vile.

There, around his manservant's feet, laid his armor that Arthur had ordered him to polish.

Knowing that he would suffer either way, his manservant casted out one desperate plea to hopefully lighten his sentence.

"Sorry?"

..

"MERLIN!"

..

A/N: Wow, this is my longest chapter yet, I can't believe myself. Anyway, did you guys know that I was smiling like an idiot while I was writing the supposedly cheesy Arwen scene? It was supposed to be romantic; I hope I did it justice. That scene was inspired by the song 'This Never Happened Before' by Paul McCartney.

I'm not much for action scenes, and aside from the romance scenes in this fic, the action scenes were the ones I found the hardest to write about. So I hope I did well in the confrontation in this chapter. And sorry for those who expected the Lady Helen to sing, I just wanted to take a different route. I never intended for the Lady Helen arc to be 3 chapters long, it was supposed to be done in only 1 chapter,… dunno what happened. :D

Every time I experience a writer's block, I just read your reviews again and again. They re-fuel my passion in writing this fic. Thank you for your support everyone.

And yes, the spell Merlin had cast is a true spell used in the canon series. :)

Many thanks to the following wonderful individuals:

Birdy21, whitecrossgirl, A Lady of Time, KshMckenzie08, blissfulbeauty84, Guest#1, larasmith, Arthurlover7, and buzzy31bee